New city councilwoman Demetrus Coonrod is photographed in the Times Free Press studio on Friday, April 28, 2017, in Chattanooga, Tenn.Chattanooga City Councilwoman Demetrus Coonrod on Tuesday apologized for her part in a shouting match with constituents at last week’s council meeting in which she called inner-city residents “complacent and lazy.”
Speaking to those constituents in the audience, Coonrod asked their forgiveness.
“I said something that’s historically used against our people. That was not becoming of my actions,” she said.
The blowup last week involved Coonrod, local activist Marie Mott and a man who gave his name only as Isaiah, who called on the council to hold the police accountable for excessive use of force.
“Every week we’re coming down here and we’re telling you about the police in Chattanooga and there is nothing being done about it,” Isaiah said. “The inner-city community is crying out for help and y’all keep turning a blind eye to it.”
Coonrod, though, said the inner-city community needs to hold itself accountable, too. She has been open about her own troubled past, growing up on the streets and serving a prison term. She got her civil rights restored and was elected to the Chattanooga City Council in March 2017.
“Nobody is coming to council to hold our own accountable,” Coonrod told Isaiah. She said her friend’s 19-year-old daughter had been shot to death the night before, “not by the hands of a police officer but by the hands of people that look just like you and I.
“And every day it’s the same situation. We talk about holding people accountable? Let’s hold us accountable,” she said.
Isaiah protested that inner-city residents, especially children, are cut off from opportunity.
“You don’t want to take advantage of the opportunities, and I do, and that’s why I know that it’s available,” Coonrod flashed back, talking over him.
“And that’s why I know what’s out there for us, and just like I lift myself up from my bootstraps, the people in the inner-city community got every right and can do the exact same thing. If we stop being complacent and lazy, and stop depending on these systems .”
Then Mott, who can employ a preacher’s booming voice, took over the microphone. Coonrod yelled over her as well until Chairman Ken Smith gaveled them all to silence.
Tuesday night, Coonrod asked Isaiah and Mott to “please forgive me for my action and choice of words, and let’s unite to move the city in a different direction.”
She lives every day with the mistakes of her past, she said, and “a lot of people think I don’t belong on the council.”
But Coonrod offered to “extend my hand and do my part to make sure you are included” at the table.
Isaiah was quiet, but Mott was eloquent.
“Ms. Coonrod, I love you, and there’s nothing you can do about that,” she said, adding that disagreement is part of politics.
She said she is trying to involve other young people in local government as a way to improve their lives. Referring to an earlier part of the meeting when people spoke for and against granting permits for short-term vacation rentals to local homeowners, she said it would be nice to have such concerns.
“I live in neighborhoods where we just want a grocery store, just to be able to go somewhere and get our medicine,” Mott said.
“We’re talking about basic human dignity and moral respect. Please don’t continue to ignore us. We have so much faith in you. Chattanooga is where I’m from and I’m pretty sure I’ll die here, making it a better place.”
Contact staff writer Judy Walton at jwalton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6416.